Kin Beach Memorial

The Kin Beach Memorial was constructed to honour both the tragedy, and the sacrifices made, at the devastating battle. It honours the many soldiers who lost their lives in the conflict, as well as the brutal injuries suffered by Lapin's own Queen, and the Owsla who protected her and the Royal Family, and carried her to safety.

The Memorial is still fairly new. However, there are several suggestions under consideration for additions, including small badgers representing the Meles children, to be added to the central bronze statue. This suggestion has been hotly contested and has been directly opposed by the Bunny Queen.  

Queen Sable: I'm already not terribly impressed that I've been included in the monument -- though I understand that's necessary to illustrate the heroism of Kit and the Owsla. But if you wanted to make the badgers you're proposing accurate, Mr. Prime Minister, you'd have to have a badger in a dark cloak commanding another one to break the neck of a tiny badger cub. And if you do that, I won't be able to make myself go back, so you'll be doing all the speeches to the soldiers every year. And they deserve my support, so let's not do that, okay?

— transcript of a conversation between Queen Sable and Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds, March 21, 2023

  A more popular suggestion that is being considered is the inclusion of a hare at the feet of the central statue, which would be pointing with a paw as though giving commands.  

Queen Sable: On the other hand, if you want to include my Royal Sibling, I am all for it. They deserve to be honoured for what they did.   (in the background) Princess Rowean Won't they hate that as much as you hate that they put you in it?   (aside) Queen Sable: Yes, naturally.

— transcript of a conversation between Queen Sable and Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds, March 21, 2023

The monument consists of five large bronze statues arranged in a rectangle 20 feet wide by 40 feet long. Each statue is roughly 12 and a half feet high:  

The northern corner features a cast bronze statue of CWO Michel DuBois, the Lapin Air Force pilot who was attempting to fly the evacuation helicopter carrying the Royal Family to safety; he was killed in action when the helicopter went down.

The southern corner features a cast bronze statue of CSM Dennis Reilly, a Rocky Mountain Ranger who held off a platoon of zombies by standing his ground in the battle,  and emptying his entire arsenal, including a 60 mm mortar, a grenade launcher, a machine gun and a Carl Gustov recoilless rifle. He was awarded the Lapin Star of Valour post-humously.

The eastern corner features a cast bronze statue of Master Corporal Jean W. Tremaine, who was among the small contingent of the British Columbia Dragoons that attempted to halt the Undead Horde at the edge of the Vernon district of Okanagan City. The Master Corporal was killed in action while driving her Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) directly into a swarm of zombies to cover the retreat of her company. For this action, she was also post-humously awarded the Lapin Star of Valour.

The western corner features a cast bronze statue of Colonel Kia Stretch, who was in command of the Rocky Mountain Rangers assigned to the Warren by the middle of the Third Word War. She ordered her troops to fall back to defend the Royal Family, who were crashed in Okanagan Lake near the shores of the beach, and was also killed in action.

Each of the soldiers are shown facing outward from the center, standing at the ready, and armed with armaments typical for their assignment and trades.

The statue in the center of the structure is a cast bronze on a plinth of Commander Kitoypoy of the Owsla, shown gently carrying Queen Sable unconscious from the battlefield in her bunny form.

The marble plinths of the statues in the directional quarters, and the plinth at the center, are carved with the names of all casualties of the battle.  

Wow...those bases. They're all just covered in names, aren't they?

— Archon MykolaVoid, visiting the Kin Beach Memorial with Queen Sable

  The four soldiers honoured in the directional quarters represent different ethnic groups, and there are two male and two female soldiers. This was meant not only to represent the soldiers who so valiantly gave their lives in the Royal Family's defense, but also, the population of the Lapin Protectorate and its people.  

I cannot think of a more fitting embodiment of Lapinite spirit; all of us vigilant against the Undead Horde, embodied in these four exemplary soldiers; and at our heart, Her Royal Majesty, the woman we have all come to call "Mama Bunny," supported by the Owsla and her Tome Knights, giving all of herself to save her children and all of us. Long may she reign!

— From the speech of Prime Minister Alistair Reynolds at the dedication of the Kin Beach Monument

  MCpl Tremaine's TAPV was towed to the front of Kin Beach Park and left on display in its shattered condition by parties unknown sometime in December 2022. While this is not officially part of the monument, it has not been removed by Lapin officials or Okanagan City bylaw.  

Are you kidding? There'd be a riot! People come here just to see it, or touch it and reflect. I understand the Crown is seriously considering having it bronzed as well, to preserve it from the elements.

— Constable Ann Green, LRMP

Kin Beach Park was the site of the devastating Battle of Kin Beach. An evacuation helicopter carrying King Consort Realm of Music Meles and the surviving Meles children - also the biological children of HRM Queen Sable - was shot down with a mortar on its way back to the Warren and splashed down in Okanagan Lake near the shores of the beach. Rocky Mountain Rangers and British Columbia Dragoons stationed at the Warren, already overrun, came immediately to the defense of the Royal Family.   Queen Sable, along with Prinx Tempest, King Darth Nikolas of House Meles the Owsla and the Brocktrees launched a rescue attempt, but not in time to save Princess Monkey Meles, the youngest daughter, who was killed by the zombie that had once been her brother, Prinx Xantos Meles.   Already having suffered severe casualties and in danger of being completely overrun, the Dragoons and the Rangers stood their ground. But it was a great relief to them when an overwhelming blast of white light washed over the battlefield, destroying all of the non-literomancer undead and forcing the Tome Zombies to flee the area.   It would not be until later that they discovered that the Bunny Queen had let loose a blast of magical energy at the moment of her daughter's death that was sparked by pure primal rage and despair. She was gravely injured in the blast by critical Magic Drain. Prinx Tempest took command of the Woodlander forces, and Owsla Commander Kitoypoy used an agimat charm to change his liege into her bunny form so that he could more easily carry her from the battlefield. The magical explosion bought the surviving soldiers and Tome Knights enough time to complete their evacuation and retreat from the area.   This was the most devastating defeat since the founding of the Protectorate, and the tragedy brought the fledgling nation together. Somewhat uncertain about their feelings regarding literomancers prior to the battle, the Lapin populace came to believe that their powerful magical leaders and protectors were, in fact, as human as they, and suffered right alongside everyone else. To many Lapinites, the Kin Beach Memorial is the embodiment of their virtues of bravery, mutual protection, and self-sacrifice, which affects everyone from the highest to the lowest walks of life.

Lapinites have begun to undertake pilgrimages of a sort to see the Kin Beach Memorial and imprint its tragedy and its impact into their lived experience. Images of the monument have begun to find their way into brochures that celebrate its cultural importance to the Lapins.   It has become a trend for teenagers to climb the central statue after park hours and attempt to touch Queen Sable's left hind paw, which is the only one that is accessible by the structure of the casting. While no one quite believes that touching the "lucky rabbit's foot" of the Queen's statue will bring them good luck, as the popular meme claims, a surprising number of young people make sure to do it anyway, just in case.